Myrna Weissman, PhD, is Professor of Epidemiology in Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons and the School of Public Health at Columbia University and Chief of Clinical-Genetic Epidemiology at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Weissman has been a consultant to many private and public agencies, including the World Health Organization, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science. She is also on the editorial board of several journals, including Archives of General Psychiatry. She has been the author or a co-author of over 450 scientific articles and chapters, and 10 books, including The Depressed Woman: A Study of Social Relationships (1974); Interpersonal Psychotherapy of Depression (1984); A Comprehensive Guide to Interpersonal Psychotherapy (2000); and Treatment of Depression: Bridging the 21st Century (2001). She is the recipient of many awards including the 2001 American Psychiatric Association Award for Achievement in Research.